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The Calgary Stampede that happened "hell or high water" has wrapped up.

Coming right on the heels of flooding that devastated the city, including parts of the grounds, attendance for the 101st Stampede was down 20 per cent from last year’s centennial party.

The turnstiles counted 1,133,050 people through the gates, almost matching the 2011 total of 1,174,697.

"It was a lot of work and people worked some long hours and long days, but I think the end result everybody's extremely proud of," said Stampede spokeswoman Jennifer Booth.

In the days after the flood, Calgary Stampede president Bob Thompson vowed that the event would go ahead "come hell or high water," a phrase that became a rallying cry as Calgarians coped with the disaster's aftermath.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi said this year’s event was one for the history books.

"It's really great. People are celebrating like never before. They're celebrating what we've been through and what we've accomplished as a community," he said.